Here is another of the stories from my first story collection.. Flights of Fancy.. This time the story of a woman and a dog who come together on a harsh Welsh mountain.
TRUST
The house was quiet. The men had left a few minutes ago and already she felt alone. The ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall intruded into the silence. Time was passing slowly and each minute felt like an hour.
Claire stared out of the kitchen window at the gathering gloom. It would soon be dark, and she would be unable to see the mountain rising above the house, harsh but fiercely beautiful. It was this mountain that had attracted them last spring, the lower slopes covered in lush grass dotted with the cotton wool white of the ewes and their lambs. The craggy rocks of the mountaintop jutted up into a cloudless, blue sky, like sentries protecting the house beneath them. The building nestled into the hillside. A run-down farm that needed a great deal of work, but it had taken their breath away. The pleasure of the surroundings and the potential of this house, made them smile at each other in shared delight.
Tom’s first novel had been a runaway best seller. At last they could afford to move from their cramped, damp London flat and come back to these Welsh mountains where Tom had been born. He knew that he could write here, creating stories inspired by this stark splendour, and he felt Claire would come to love living here too, as much as he would. Once they had put an offer in on the property, they contacted a local builder. He spent hours with them in the house, discussing the renovations, planning the schedule, so they could move in as soon as possible. They had returned to London, full of excitement and anticipation for what their wonderful future was about to reveal.
Claire turned from the kitchen window and wandered through the now-completed house. They had kept rigidly to the plans. Used the colour schemes that had caused such argument and honoured the compromises they had reached, often after a bottle of rich, red wine. They spent hours moving furniture around; until it sat in just the perfect place. Painted patches on the walls, until they found just the perfect colour.
Tom’s study and the design he chose, was his alone. He had revelled in the planning of where to place his desk for the best light, the muted colour scheme, the lighting and the placement of all the new bookshelves. He would sit for hours in their noisy, cluttered flat, staring out of the tiny window onto the street, and Claire knew that he was hundreds of miles away, looking at a mountain, through his study window.
She now stood in that study and surveyed the completed picture. The bookcases lining the walls, the solid old desk and its comfortable, leather chair. The pictures of the sea hung around the room, favourite scenes from early childhood trips to the Welsh coast with his family. The colour he had chosen for the walls was warm, clean buttermilk. Dark blue curtains at the large window and upholstery on the sofa at the far end of the room complimented the rich, stained wood flooring. It was exactly as he had planned it, down to the last detail. Tom had simple tastes and this was reflected in the room. Claire had to be content with planning the rest of the house to fit her more flamboyant tastes. How he had loved working in his study for the last two months, preparing his latest novel for publication. How she, in turn, had loved knowing that he was in that room, a touch or gentle call away. Despite their shared anticipation of the completed project, they had not thought they could be this delighted with their new home.
She picked up the blue crystal paperweight she had given him last Christmas. As she felt the cold heaviness in her hand, the tears started to fall, unchecked down her cheeks. Tom would never be in this room again. He would never read those books that lined the walls, and never walk the mountain slopes again he loved so much. All it had taken was one mistake on a wet road. He had been late and in a hurry to get home. Had known she was waiting for him to take her out for their anniversary dinner. One mistake, one hour late, one tentative knock on the front door. She had opened it full of anticipation, to find a pair of young and concerned policemen standing quietly on her doorstep. Now she sat in Tom’s chair, crying softly and alone.
The dog lay behind the broken, stone wall on the slope above the house. Nose resting on front paws, he watched the open back door, waiting. Every evening for the last week, the woman had put down a bowl of food for him and returned inside. She knew that the stray, neglected collie would come no further than the wall, and would not come at all if she stayed, waiting for him. He sniffed the air, trying to catch the scents which normally came from the house. Tonight there was no warm smell of cooking, no gentle tap of heels on the stone floor of the kitchen.
The light began to fade; he was hungry and had become used to this welcome food each evening. He had ceased to scavenge from dustbins in the local town, much more interested in the woman’s food. But now he was puzzled. He had grown accustomed to her gentle voice calling to him, a voice that stirred memories of another time, another woman. Memories of a warm fireplace with food and companionship as gentle fingers ruffled his shiny coat. As the dark closed around him, he at last stood and moved from behind the wall.
No lights shone in the house, but the open door and the food he knew to be inside, beckoned him. Nervously, he approached the building. He was used to people who lived in houses. He had been kicked and shouted at more than once in the early days of his lonely existence, before he learned fear and distrust. But, with an instinct buried deep inside his matted chest, he knew this house was different, perhaps it was the similarity to his old home, or the gentle presence of the woman inside.
There was still no sign of the woman as the dog entered the kitchen. He stood, nose in the air, seeking for his familiar bowl of food. Then he heard a soft sound coming from deeper in the dark house. Something in the sound drew him across the stone floor and out into the hallway. Ears pricked, he turned towards the noise and padded down the passage. He peered through an open doorway, alert to any danger, poised for flight. The woman sat by the window holding a stone-like object in her hands. He tensed, remembering past pain. She stared into the night, making soft sobbing noises, noises he had remembered his mistress making when she was sad, needing him, needing to place a soft arm around his neck and hold him close. He moved towards the woman and stood for a moment as if making a decision.
His tail wagged slightly in a long forgotten attempt at communication, and slowly he inched forward until he was standing at Claire’s side. He gently pushed his long nose under her arm and rested his head on her lap. A hand moved, creeping upwards to gently fondle the soft ears. An arm slipped around his neck and he looked up into her face.
Through her tears, Claire smiled down at the shaggy head. She felt the warmth of his coat spread slowly upward from her hand to the rest of her body. Her grief was there like a sharp pain in her chest, but she was no longer alone. Soon she would feed him and groom his matted coat, but for now this was enough.
©sallycronin Flights of Fancy 2009
Thank you for dropping by and hope you have enjoyed the story. Sally
Pingback: Smorgasbord Short Stories – Flights of Fancy Anthology – Trust by Sally Cronin | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Reblogged this on Sue Vincent's Daily Echo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing Sue xxx
LikeLike
My pleasure, as always Sally. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing..
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on The Writers Desk and commented:
Beautiful short story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Patricia.. hugs xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sad but beautiful Sally, Thank you for sharing. xo
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Patricia.. hugs xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hello Sally. What a beautiful and bittersweet story. I enjoyed reading it. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Vashti.. hugs xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
A sad tale told beautifully…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So bittersweet Sal, and a fantastic and heartfelt story. ❤ xo
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you as always Debby..hugs xx♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤ xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, a lovely story. Just the thing for bedtime too xxxxx
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you Shey.. ♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on TINA FRISCO and commented:
A story of grief and solace, beautifully written by our supportive friend and blogger, Sally Cronin. Need I tell you, Sally, this is my favorite and most likely always will be? Unlike all the tears I’ve shed over the past four months, these were welcomed ♥♥♥
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thank you again Tina.. let’s hope the coming months bring better news on the political front. ♥
LikeLiked by 2 people
Welcome, Sally. Fingers crossed ♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a beautiful tale, Sally. I love the introduction of the dog and your descriptions are lovely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Robbie.. I take it the books have not arrived.. so please let me know and I will try again.. hugs xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautiful story, Sally. It reminds me of how a dachshund my parents owned used to lay his little head on my leg and look at me with sympathetic eyes when I was sad. 🙂 — Suzanne
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Suzanne.. they are so empathetic.. and you don’t even have to tell them. hugs xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a wonderful story. Thanks so much for sharing. Dogs can make such a difference. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Darlene.. thankfully our neighbour lets us share hers from time to time until we get our own again.. They do make a house a home… xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful story Sally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much Allan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a beautiful story, Sally. This is the first of your stories I have read. Incredible and completely captivating. “The craggy rocks of the mountaintop jutted up into a cloudless, blue sky, like sentries protecting the house beneath them.” Just marvelous! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Natalie.. glad you enjoyed.. memories of my time in Mid-Wales. hugs xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Sally,
A delightful first time visit to your Blog having followed Tina’s re-blog of this post.
Charmed and enchanted by your vision of the hills and the beautiful sense of isolation, and isolated wonder found when nestled within the vibrancy of the Welsh countryside. I am an Englishman living ‘abroad’ I Wales having moved here some 12 years ago. I stay not only to enjoy the sense of community that prevails here but for the sheer beauty of the Land upon which I walk. There are, as you describe within your story, places in Wales so exquisite, so mesmerizingly beautiful one can hear angels sing. North Wales, Gwynedd and Powys in particular are awe-inspiring, (Cader Idris stands like a Dragon sentinel), and it is no wonder to me that your quill fluttered inspired by the landscape in which you lived. I read in your ‘About’ that you have moved to Ireland, and are no doubt still enjoying the emerald glow of green fertile lands and mountainous sweeping landscapes. Lucky you! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this story of tragedy and sweetness. Animals know only how to Love unconditionally: it is that virtue which separates them from the majority of human beings who don’t.
Hoping all is well in your little slice of Eden. Take care in all ways always.
Namaste 🙂
DN
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Dewin and I am touched that you enjoyed the story. I wandered and strolled most of Snowdonia during my time there and when I married we spent another six months before moving away. I worked for a sheep farming friend during that six months who owned a hill farm on Cader – it was winter but despite the snow and cold there were some spectacular days. I have never been so fit in my life! My husband was a mountaineer and we spent most summers in the UK or the Alps.. now we are happy to wander coastal paths.. so are our knees. Thank you again and have a lovely weekend. Sally
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Sally,
Thank you, your story was a pleasure to read.
I do so enjoy hearing snippets of back stories and knowing a little more about the rich and varied lives authors and writers have/are enjoying. Your experience hill farming on Cader…well now, I would relish that opportunity and move tomorrow if an offer of work were made. It is stunning in all weathers…no doubt excessively cold in the winter, but well worth enduring for the seasons that follow. Hubby’s mountaineering ways must have taken you to some glorious locations and no doubt fed your imagination with wonder and your heart with love for the Earth we walk upon. Thank you for sharing those additional insights.
I am not so young that I could run up Cader, but neither am I so old that I’d need airlifting from its peak in order to get down. It is a mountain that I long to return to at some point in the near future with camera in one hand and a pen in the other…perhaps even make a short holiday of it and stay a while longer. Your story has left me inspired to seek out a high place and wander in wonder. Thank you.
Hoping the bank holiday weekend finds you well and eager to enjoy more of the great outdoors and coastal paths on your doorstep. Do take care, and look after those knees 🙂
Namaste.
DN
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Dewin we will.. enjoy the rain… sister to ours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sally! Oh how you have me on the verge of tears with this story. Within the last hour a friend told me his dog passed away and now I read this one, which is so full of love and grief, as well as speaking of the bond between animal and human. I adore this story ❤ Your book sounds fantastic
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Christy.. there seems to have been a number of four legged friends leaving their families in recent days.. very sad. Thank you for your comments about the story. An early one but one close to my heart…♥♥
LikeLike
Pingback: Smorgasbord Weekly Round Up – Stevie Wonder, The Neanderthals and other legends | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Oh this was beautiful, Sally. You always know how to tug at the heart strings 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Judy.. it try to write stuff that pull at mine..♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
💖💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my! What a sweet story, Sally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Jan..so pleased you liked it. hugs xx
LikeLike
Such a beautiful story, Sally. I remember it well. Another one that needs a tissue warning.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Olga.. sometimes I need to give my Kleenex shares a boost! hugs xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Smorgasbord Short Stories – Flights of Fancy Anthology – Trust by Sally Cronin | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life | Just Olga
Many thanks for sharing Olga. hugs xx
LikeLike
Beautiful story, Sally xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Adele.. hugs xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
hugs back, Sally xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on The Life & Times of Zoe the Fabulous Feline and commented:
When you visit to read Sally’s moving story of love lost and found, don’t forget he tissue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing Zoe and Emily.. hugs xx
LikeLike